Wait — go back to that last one. Turns out the water flowing out of all the faucets and spigots at the Tamarisk Grove campground in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is undrinkable — a condition almost unheard of among the state's collection of developed campgrounds.

Campers who want potable water at Tamarisk Grove, one of the three developed campsites in the park, can buy it onsite when the information kiosk is staffed. But at least one volunteer staffer apparently didn't know this and recently referred campers to the town of Borrego Springs, 18 miles away.

Water from a well that serves the campground is rich in minerals and exceeds county standards in total dissolved solids. A reverse-osmosis treatment plant at the campground “is outdated and needs a high level of maintenance that we cannot currently provide,” according to an email from Kathy Dice, the park's superintendent.

The lack of water at Tamarisk Grove is not mentioned on the state park's website or reserveamerica.com, the website campers use to make reservations. (However, “NO WATER at Bow Willow Primitive Camp” is noted, and the site does proudly describe Tamarisk Grove’s “Brand-new cabins” available for rent at $60 per night.)

Dice said the water-treatment plant requires $20,000 in upgrades — money the park doesn't have. She didn't say how long the park has been without potable water.

“We are looking for funding to build a system that can once again take care of the water situation there but in the meantime we are not testing the water and therefore advise visitors against drinking it,” Dice said.

Tamarisk Grove, a former prison camp, gets its name from the abundance of unusual trees that were imported from the Middle East. The campground offers a convenient base for several popular sites, such as the Yaqui well, a historic desert water hole; and a seasonal Kumeyaay village.

Comments

State parks always have a budget for emergency issues like this. They can fix it if pressure is put on them. Call State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth and Assemblyperson Joel Anderson. They can apply more pressure. Remember this is the agency that hide $55 Mil from the taxpayers and claimed they were broke and wanted to tax each registered vehicle an extra $18/year. Fortunately we voted that down.

Never trust any information on the reserveamerica website about individual campgrounds. They have no interest in knowing or reporting what the actual conditions are. It is just a way the state allowed a private business to make money off of campers, forcing us to use the reservation system.